News

Harsh rules of war

WE KNOW the British Army used propaganda and “spin” during the war of independence 80 years ago (British Army used spin to ‘confuse’ Irish, News, last week) — it happened on both sides. It was not a nice war; is there such a thing? I find it inappropriate that Dr Brian Murphy uses his “expertise” to debunk British military accounts of the Kilmichael ambush. It has been generally accepted that there was an IRA policy of taking no prisoners in those situations — Tom Barry’s exact role is irrelevant.

This policy was based on two pragmatic considerations, and no guerilla organisation would overlook these. The first was, where would they keep such prisoners of war? The second, even more forceful, was that by sparing any of their targeted victims they would simply be releasing the evidence eventually to be used against them. The Geneva Convention did not apply. This policy is still